


A Change of Heart

by Escarno



Category: Tangled: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: Additional Characters, Anastasia AU, Pascal and Ruddiger will be playing minor roles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 06:45:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16383302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Escarno/pseuds/Escarno
Summary: "But sure, yeah, I guess every lonely girl would hope she's a princess."





	A Change of Heart

“Come on!” His eyes were pleading, a hand outstretched in an attempt to pull her away from the chaos. 

“But Mother, Father -,” her protests were cut short.

“We’ll meet them outside of the castle. It’s too dangerous to stay here!”

She curled her fingers around his, letting him pull her through the hidden passageway. She tried not to think about the stench of blood that permeated the air, doing her best to focus on escape.

The chaos had spread to outside of the castle, nobles and servants and civilians nearly trampling each other in attempts to get away from the unknown danger. No one paid mind to a six-year-old and a boy twice her age, clutching each other’s hands.

They must have run for hours. She was too exhausted, her mind too frayed to question where they were going, where her parents were. 

“Hurry up, princess, we have to catch the train!”

Their escape dangled right in front of their noses, but they still couldn’t seem to catch it. As they neared, the train began to pull away and they desperately tried to close the distance.

“Eugene!” 

His hand caught the train’s railing and he turned his head, watching in horror as her fingers slipped from his. He opened his mouth in a cry of her name that was lost in the wind as she stumbled, her head smacking against the ground before everything went dark.

 

* * *

 

“Wake up, darling.”

The child sat up, breath catching in her throat as pain pierced her temple.

“Easy now, easy. You’ve been hurt.”

Green eyes focused on a doctor, her hands eagerly curling around the cup of water that was offered.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“I don’t know.”

“What about your parents?”

“I… I don’t know.”

The child was on the verge of tears as she realized that her memories were a void - she knew that there things that she should remember, but she just  _ couldn’t _ . 

The doctor gave her a sympathetic smile before turning to a nearby, plucking a worn leather journal up and handing it to the girl.

“This is yours, I believe. We found it with you.”

Woodland creatures were painted across the fabric, faded yet vibrant all the same. The child fumbled with the clasp, flipping the journal open to its first page.

“ _ Plus est en vous. _ ” Her voice tripped over the words, clumsy and unsure of the foreign language.

“It’s French, I believe - there is more in you.” The doctor gave her a sympathetic smile, ruffling her hair before leaving her to sort through the journal.

The child traced her fingers along descriptions and paintings of adventure, eyes lighting up with wonder at the stories. She spotted a name - or, part of a name. The ink was smudged, blurring out the first few letters. It may not be her name, but it would work just as well.

“Anna.”

 

* * *

 

“You’re finally leaving me, eh?”

Anna turned her head over her shoulder, cramming the last of her items into the bag afforded to her. “Yes, Mother Gothel. I’m eighteen now.”

The older woman rolled her eyes, arms crossed over her chest. “Good-for-nothing kid. I take you in for twelve years and you do nothing but give me another mouth to feed. At least you aren’t going like you used to about being the lost princess.”

Anna managed a guilty smile at the comment. Truly, when she had been younger, she had convinced herself that she must be the lost princess. They were the same age, they looked alike, and Anna had no memories of her past prior to the attack on the kingdom. In an attempt to escape from the world, Anna had filled her imagination with ideas of being a princess.

“And where are you going to go now?” Gothel raised a brow, pressing against the frame of the door as Anna collected Pascal from his perch (“the little pest” Gothel would call him, but she allowed his presence as he kept away mosquitoes during the summer). 

“Corona.”

“Really now? Picking up that lost princess bit again after all?”

“No, Mother, don’t worry. I just want to travel the world, and Corona’s a good start.”

Gothel pinched the bridge of her nose, groaning weakly. “You still have your head in the clouds, don’t you, dearest? Just remember, I could always use another helping hand around here.”

Anna heaved the bag over her shoulder, a breathless laugh falling past her lips. “I’ll keep it in mind, Mother.”

The snow went up to her ankles, but exhilaration kept her warm. Finally, she was going to get to explore, she would go to Corona and-

“Last name, please?”

Anna’s smile faltered as she reached the train station, gaze falling on the apathetic clerk. “I, uh, don’t have one.”

The clerk sighed, peering up at Anna through her glasses. “Exit visa?”

“I don’t have that either.”

“Well, you won’t be going to Corona. Next in line, please!”

Anna couldn’t argue, not when an irritated businessman shouldered past her to take his place in front of the clerk.  Her shoulders slumped in defeat, Anna wondered if Gothel would laugh in her face when she returned so soon.

Before she could exit the train station, a woman caught her arm. “You wantin’ to go to Corona, miss?”

A shawl was drawn over the woman’s face, obscuring Anna’s view of her as she was led to the side. “Go to Flynn Rider. Rumor has it that he’s got an extra visa he’s lookin’ to sell.”  

Pascal gave an unsure click as a paper was tucked into Anna’s pocket, an address scrawled across.

“Thank you. May I get your… Name?” The woman was gone, having slipped away in the bustling traffic of the station.

WIth a sigh, Anna pulled out the paper and looked at the address. “Well, Pascal, let’s go get us a visa.”

 

* * *

 

“Alright, alright, stop,” Flynn sighed, slicing a hand through the air as he stood up. The woman in front of him could never pass for a princess. Her voice was too heavy with smoke, her eyes wrinkled in the corners, and her eyes weren’t the right shade of green. 

“Think I’ll make the callbacks, honey?” The woman curled into her purse, retrieving a cigar and lighting it.

Flynn hid his grimace with a smile, resting a hand on the small of her back as he led her to the door. “I’ve still got a lot of auditions to go through but yours is… Something.” He wasn’t going to lie, but he knew the truth would earn him a slap across the face. Best to choose his words carefully.

Once the woman was gone, Flynn sighed and scratched his chin. He heard footsteps and turned his head, some tension easing from his face at the sight of the boy who stepped out of the shadows. “No luck today?”

“No,” Flynn groaned, pulling the visas from his pocket and scanning over them. “We need to get lucky soon, though. Who knows how much longer the queen will hold that reward out for.”

Ten million sols. Enough to last a couple of lifetimes, and lavish ones at that. But Flynn could only claim that money if he returned the lost princess. But the catch was exactly that - the princess was lost, as good as dead. So it was in Flynn’s best interest to find someone to play the part. The queen would never know the difference, and it would soothe the old woman’s heart anyway.

“Well, the probabilities of luck aside, I’ll spread some more whispers. Hopefully we can find a convincing actress to take our role.” The boy dug his hands into his pockets, retrieving an apple core and holding it to the ground, clicking his tongue. “Eat up, Ruddiger. You little brat.”

Most would think it was crazy to keep a pet raccoon, but the boy didn’t care. Ruddiger was his friend, and the raccoon was well-behaved enough.

“I know, Varian. We’ll figure it out.”

Flynn dusted off his trousers before ruffling Varian’s hair. They weren’t brothers by blood, but rather by bond. They had looked out for each other through thick and thin, they were close enough to family.

But he was torn from his reminiscing as the door creaked open. “Look, auditions are closed for today-,” he began, but his jaw nearly scraped the floor when he saw the woman who stepped through.

If he didn’t know better, he would say that the woman was the princess herself. The same delicate features, the same emerald eyes, what he had imagined lost Rapunzel would have grown up to be. The striking difference was the hair. Rapunzel had cumbersome blonde in  hair that nearly trailed the floor beneath her. The woman in front of him had short, choppy hair - as if she had cut it herself.

“I’m sorry,” she began, taking a small step backwards. “I must have the wrong place. I was told that I could find a visa here.”

Flynn took the opportunity to step forward, taking her hand and brushing his lips against her knuckles. “You’re at the right place, if you’re looking for a visa. The name is Flynn Rider - may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?”

“Anna.” She pulled her hand back, brows furrowed in confusion. “Just Anna.”

“Well, ‘Just Anna’, I can help with that visa problem of yours. See, my brother and I, we’re travelling to Corona. Putting on a production, but we need an actress.” Flynn stepped around her, hands sweeping in grand gestures. “You, Anna, are just perfect. You hold the noble air we’ve been looking for.”

Her nose wrinkled in a way that was almost cute. “Noble? Sure, if an orphan is noble.”

“Well, Varian will be able to teach you the ways of a noble lady. You need to know the part to act the part, after all.”

Anna gave a passing smile to the boy before her attention focused back on Flynn.

“And what role, exactly, will I be playing?”

“Oh, it’s simple, really. The lost princess of Corona: Rapunzel.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading - hopefully I'll manage to keep on top of this and actually update with a second chapter. No schedule right now, as life is hectic, but I'll try to get the second chapter up soon!
> 
> Constructive criticism is always appreciated, especially as this is my first attempt at a multi-chapter fic!


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